Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is set to use new ultraviolet scanners that will eliminate the need for passengers to remove their shoes for security checks.
The Delta R shoe scanner was developed by Dutch startup Stage Gate 11 (SG11), a specialist in technological product development for the security industry. The scanner is a detection unit that uses UV light, meaning airport security staff can more easily pick out passengers who have hidden unsafe substances, such as drugs or explosives, in their shoes.
The need for such technology follows the attempted bombing of an American Airlines flight in 2001 with an explosive concealed in a hollowed-out shoe heel.
The shoe scanner detects traces of substances using UV reflection, comparing the emitted beam of light with the reflected one that has bounced off a surface. As all substances have their own unique patterns, the technology quickly and accurately recognizes traces of illegal or threatening substances.
SG11 worked with interior specialists INTOS in the design of the product.
Michiel Poppink, co-owner of SG11, commented, “We have the technology and application possibilities, but we really needed INTOS as a knowledge partner to design the show scanner.
“Their years of experience at Schiphol and other international airports meant that INTOS knew exactly which requirements a product had to meet for optimum performance in an airport. All of this led to the perfect transformation of our ideas into an aesthetic concept and ultimately a functional product.”
Jan-Williem Spanjaart, INTOS business development manager, added, “Starting with the idea, INTOS advised SG11 about the design, material, sustainability and possibilities for maintenance.
“The resulting standalone column that now is the shoe scanner is manufactured entirely in-house. The technology is suitable for many different applications, like parcel scanning.”